This September, Co Create Architects will be exhibiting at Build It Live South West at Westpoint Arena, Exeter, bringing together our experience in new homes, extensions, renovations and conversions across Exeter and Devon.
Taking place on 12 and 13 September 2026, Build It Live is one of the South West’s leading events for anyone planning to build their own home, extend an existing property or take on a major renovation project.
As RIBA Chartered Architects in Exeter, we will be there throughout the weekend to talk through ideas, answer questions and help people understand what might be possible with their property or site.
Whether you have already found a plot, are thinking about extending your home or simply have an idea you would like to explore, come and have a chat with us.
Architects in Exeter for New Homes, Extensions and Renovations
Our Exeter architectural team works with homeowners, landowners and developers across Exeter, East Devon and the wider Devon area, helping to deliver a broad range of residential projects.
These can include smaller home alterations, house extensions, major renovations, conversions, replacement dwellings and completely new homes. Every project is different, and our role is to understand the property, the site and what the client wants to achieve before developing the right design approach.
For some homes, the main priority is creating more space. For others, it may be improving natural light, opening up views, creating stronger links with the garden or completely rethinking the way the existing house is arranged.
Good residential architecture should not simply add more floor area. It should improve the way a home feels, works and responds to the people living in it.
Thinking About Extending Your Home in Exeter?
House extensions remain one of the most common ways of transforming an existing home in Exeter and across Devon, particularly where the location of a property is already right but the building no longer meets the needs of the people living there.
A successful extension should feel like more than an extra room added to the side or rear of a house. We look carefully at how the new space connects with the existing building, how natural light moves through the home, how circulation can be improved and how the relationship between the house and garden can be strengthened.
That might mean creating a new kitchen and dining space, adding a rear or side extension, introducing an additional storey or carrying out a more substantial remodelling of the property.
Our team can help from the earliest feasibility work and planning stages through to Building Regulations, technical design and construction support, allowing the initial design idea to be carried through into the finished building.
Planning a Self Build Home in Exeter or Devon?
Building your own home can be one of the most rewarding types of architectural project, giving you the opportunity to create a property around the way you want to live rather than adapting your lifestyle to an existing building.
The most successful self build projects usually begin with a strong understanding of the site. Before developing a design, we look at matters such as orientation, access, views, neighbouring properties, levels, landscape, local character and planning policy.
This early work can have a significant impact on both the design and the planning strategy, particularly on more sensitive sites in the countryside or on land where development potential is not immediately clear.
As architects working across Exeter and Devon, we help clients assess what may be achievable before committing too heavily to a particular idea. The aim is to create homes that respond properly to their setting while also reflecting the people who will live in them.
Do I Need Planning Permission in Exeter?
Planning is one of the areas we are asked about most often by homeowners and people looking to develop land in Exeter.
The answer depends on the property, the location and the nature of the work being proposed. Some home improvements may fall within permitted development rights, while other extensions, alterations, conversions and new homes will require a planning application.
Additional restrictions can also apply to listed buildings, conservation areas and properties where permitted development rights have previously been removed, so it is usually worthwhile understanding the planning position before investing too much time in a detailed design.
An early feasibility study can often identify potential opportunities, planning risks and sensible next steps, helping clients make informed decisions before progressing further.
Come and Meet Co Create Architects at Build It Live Exeter
One of the main reasons we are looking forward to Build It Live South West is the chance to speak with people at the very start of their projects, when there is still plenty of opportunity to explore ideas and understand what could be achievable.
You do not need to arrive with finished drawings or a fully developed brief. You can bring along photographs, estate agent details, sketches, plans or simply an idea you want to talk through.
If you are thinking about a new home in Exeter, a house extension in Devon, a major renovation, a conversion or the development potential of a site, come and speak to the Co Create Architects team at Build It Live South West.
The event takes place at Westpoint Arena in Exeter on 12 and 13 September 2026, and we will be there throughout the weekend to talk about design, planning and how to move your project forward.
